The present invention relates to a variable valve control apparatus and method for controlling an opening/closing characteristic of an intake valve in an internal combustion engine.
Heretofore, there has been known a technology in which there is provided a variable valve control apparatus constituted to successively vary a valve lift amount of an intake valve. A so-called non-throttle control is performed for controlling an intake air amount so as to obtain an optimum engine torque according to operating conditions (Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2001-182563).
In the case where the intake air amount control is performed by varying the lift amount of the intake valve as described above, different from the intake air amount control by a throttle valve, since there is no influence of a delay in intake air filling due to collector capacity, it is possible to obtain a very quick engine torque response to an operation of accelerator by a driver.
However, if the response to the operation of accelerator is too quick, the engine behaves in response to even a small operation of accelerator. Therefore, at the sudden starting/accelerating time (or at the time of when a driver who is inexperienced in driving operates the accelerator), as the engine power is changed immediately in response to the operation of accelerator, it is impossible to obtain a good drivability that corresponds to a driver's request.